Recent Opinions

The world is full of unsolved problems. It is also full of problems for which solutions already exist, if we only leverage them. When we slow down for a minute, consider the available options, and more carefully assess the consequences of various modes of action, we have a better chance of directing our efforts where they ought to go–for the good of ourselves and the issues we face.

Matthew Cohen ’18 and Johnathan Bowes ’15 debate whether Puerto Rico should become the 51st state in the United States. Cohen urges us to question the previous votes in Puerto Rico as well as its tremendous debt while Bowes argues the US should respect the will of Puerto Ricans in whatever they choose.

President Barack Obama was briefed by professor of political science Michael McFaul aboard Air Force One, during a flight to Moscow, Russia in 2009. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza/MCT)

McFaul, who has served as special assistant to the president on national security affairs, director of Stanford’s Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law and senior director for Russia and Eurasia at the National Security Council, is an academic expert on the transition to democracy in developing countries–including in Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union–and has written over 20 books on the subject.

After completing a dual bachelor’s degree in international relations and Slavic languages as well as a master’s in Slavic and East European studies at Stanford, McFaul received a Rhodes Scholarship for his Oxford doctorate in international relations. He has been studying U.S. relations with the Soviet Union and subsequently Russia ever since.

“This is one of the most important ambassadorial appointments in the entire realm of U.S. foreign relations,” said political science professor Larry Diamond B.A., M.A. ’73, Ph.D. ‘80 and a colleague of McFaul’s. “I think it’s a great tribute to him–his skill, his knowledge, his performance at the National Security Council–and the confidence that President Obama has in him that he has been tapped for this very important position.”

McFaul declined to comment until his ambassadorship is confirmed.

McFaul has been affiliated with the Obama administration since the 2008 presidential campaign when he advised the then-candidate through the tension surrounding Russia’s invasion of Georgia that summer.

“He is undoubtedly one of the best prepared individuals to be ambassador to Russia, certainly in the post-Cold War history of America’s relations with Russia and probably for several decades,” Diamond said. “He has been studying post-Communist Russia since the collapse of the Soviet Union…I don’t think anyone would dispute the fact that he’s probably one of the top-three or four academic specialists on Russia in the United States.”

McFaul is also widely seen as the architect of the Obama administration’s “reset” of U.S.-Russia relations after a period of strain.

“In terms of his background for the appointment, he is extremely well prepared,” said Stephen Krasner, professor of international relations and a senior fellow at FSI. “He spent a lot of time in Russia in the 1990s when Russia was transitioning to democracy, and he has now spent more than two and a half years in Washington with the Obama administration working on Russian issues. So he has both government experience in Washington and academic experience.”

However, critics have questions about whether McFaul’s “reset” precedent is a solid foundation for his ambassadorial duties.

“Any solution which would end the continuing imbalance and tug of war within Europe and would bring the military and political potential of Russia within NATO would impact greatly on the entire global security situation,” wrote Gilbert Doctorow, a visiting scholar at Columbia University’s Harriman Institute for Russian, Eurasian, and Eastern European Studies, in an email to The Daily. “And none of this potential has been tapped under ‘reset,’ for which Dr. McFaul is generally given paternity rights.”

According to Diamond, McFaul’s key role will involve balancing two main concerns.

“On the one hand, [there is] the need for the United States to have an effective, pragmatic set of relations with Russia that can continue to bring it into the international community and have it be a responsible player on global security issues, whether those be the Middle East or arms control or wherever,” Diamond said. “And on the other hand, he will be playing a role in trying to advance American values and principles and in trying to give support and encouragement to a variety of different political and social forces in Russia that are trying to extend constitutional rights, affirm political pluralism and create a more open society.”

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Carrying forward the interest in contemplation both at Windhover and during Contemplation by Design week, the Office for Religious life and HIP are collaborating to offer a labyrinth walking fundamentals [...]

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Carrying forward the interest in contemplation both at Windhover and during Contemplation by Design week, the Office for Religious life and HIP are collaborating to offer a labyrinth walking fundamentals workshop. This 2-session program will provide you with knowledge of the rich history and stress reduction and resilience-building benefits of the contemplative practice of labyrinth walking. Each session will begin in the classroom followed by a practicum of walking the Windhover labyrinth. Class will be held rain or shine. Please dress accordingly. Please note: registration required for this free class.

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COMFORT WOMEN WANTED brings to light the memory of 200,000 young women, referred to as “comfort women,” who were systematically exploited as sex slaves in Asia during World War II, and increases awareness of sexual violence against women during wartime. It is based on interviews with Korean, Chinese, Taiwanese, Indonesian, Filipino, and Dutch “comfort women” survivors and a former Japanese soldier from WWII conducted by the filmmaker, Chang-Jin Lee, a Korean-born visual artist from New York City.

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We are a social action VSO and bake challah bread on Thursdays at Hillel in the back building (across from the Haas Center). The proceeds this week go to MAZON: [...]

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We are a social action VSO and bake challah bread on Thursdays at Hillel in the back building (across from the Haas Center). The proceeds this week go to MAZON: a national non-profit working to end hunger among all faiths and backgrounds. We work with a variety of groups around campus, including social action groups, interfaith groups, and Greek life. Everyone is welcome to come join us in making challah.

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The Stanford Institute for Theoretical Physics announces the second mini-course by Stanford physics faculty on recent fundamental advances in theoretical physics. The winter quarter's lectures will be by Professor Sean [...]

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The Stanford Institute for Theoretical Physics announces the second mini-course by Stanford physics faculty on recent fundamental advances in theoretical physics. The winter quarter’s lectures will be by Professor Sean Hartnoll.

Black holes have the remarkable property of irreversibility: if you fall into a black hole you can’t get out (classically). This immediately suggested a connection with the other famous irreversibility in physics: the law of increase of entropy. Since the 70s, this connection between black holes and thermodynamic systems has been fleshed out in increasing detail and has lead to surprising conclusions. I will give an introduction to a recent body of work showing how black holes can in fact be used to shed light on exotic materials of interest in condensed matter physics, including the still-not-understood high temperature superconductors.

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THE LADY ONSTAGE explores the life and work of Olga Knipper, a name unfamiliar to most, but perhaps best known as “Chekhov’s wife”. Olga was a key creative genius in [...]

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THE LADY ONSTAGE explores the life and work of Olga Knipper, a name unfamiliar to most, but perhaps best known as “Chekhov’s wife”. Olga was a key creative genius in the history of modern theatre; she was not only the originator of the leading female roles in Chekhov’s four major plays, but also became the de facto chief representative of the Moscow Art Theater when they toured the United States. THE LADY ONSTAGE takes us into the psyche of an actress at the moment when theater changed forever, giving us an inside perspective on the radical choices artists make in the name of Art and Love.

March’s Rough Reading presents an intimate reading of Erin Bregman’s new play in early draft form, offering audiences a rare opportunity to engage directly with the artistic process of bringing a play to life. Produced by Playwrights Foundation in partnership with the National Center for New Plays at Stanford.